Toyota says "No delay for next-gen Prius"
There has been a lot speculation in recent months about the timing and content of the next generation of Toyota's Prius. Reports based on comments from company executives at various times have indicated the model would and wouldn't be a plug-in, and would and wouldn't use lithium ion batteries. The consensus now is that the Prius definitely won't use a lithium battery at launch.
An anonymous Toyota executive has told CNN/Money that recent reports of a two-year delay to the Prius are inaccurate. Of course, since Toyota has never officially announced publicly when the next generation Prius would debut, there can't officially be a delay. Given recent sightings of a face-lifted version of the current Prius, it seems unlikely that we will see an all-new car for at least then next couple of years. But when we do, at least it won't be late.
[Source: CNN/Money]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SRVfan 12:39AM (9/30/2007)
So, Toyota is considering Lithium batteries. will that make it any more environmentally friendly than the Nickel batteries in use now? Already, from design to end-of-life, the Prius does more environmental damage than a mid-size Hummer; and it costs more to operate, too.
Ahhh .... technology!
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Chris M 3:36AM (9/30/2007)
We can see by the SRVfan post that the stupid hybrid myths persist. That absurd report claiming that the Hummer was better for the environment than the Prius was totally debunked, several times. The report wildly overestimated the energy needed for construction, and wildly underestimated the Prius lifespan, and fudged several figures.
Even with the NiMH battery, the Prius takes less energy than a Hummer to manufacture, due to lower weight and smaller size. LiIon batteries have higher energy density, allowing lower weight or greater energy storage for a plug-in hybrid. Both NiMH and LiIon are recyclable and considered safe for disposal.
As for "cost of operation", the Hummer is far more expensive than a Prius on any basis. The reliability and rate-of-repair on the Prius is excellent, ranking in the top ten, while the Hummer is well below average, meaning much higher maintenance and repair costs for the Hummer. Priuses used as taxis have been saving owners thousands each year on maintenance costs alone, compared to more conventional taxis like Ford Crown Victorias.
Need I add that the Prius gets more than double the fuel milage compared to the Hummer? Guess so, some people are truely clueless.
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Syedon 3:51AM (9/30/2007)
A Prius does not cost more to operate than a Hummer. That was the contention of a flawed study that has since been discredited. It's unfortunate that this has been repeated so often that some people actually believe it to be true, because misinformation pollutes public discourse.
There are important questions to be asked about the rush to hybrids (especially as regards their full environmental impact), but spouting pure baloney does all of us a disfavor.
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